When Dark & Light Forces Engage In Spiritual Warfare

smashing_coconuts

By  Lissa Rankin MD

Guest Writer for  Wake Up World

Kitchen Table Wisdom author Rachel Naomi Remen joined 21,000 beautiful souls to talk about 10 Ways Your Soul Guides You In Daily Life. (You can listen in here if you missed it.) Gathering with so many people who shared the intention to love, connect, heal, and unlocking the mystery of that which is much larger than our cognitive minds can grasp was so energetically powerful that I got whole body goosebumps and an electric wave of something warm going through me when we unmuted the lines to join in one collective “OM.”

As Amrit Arora wrote on Facebook, “There was so much energy, love, and compassion from the audience that it shook the whole telecast. I have never had such a group spiritual experience…I am sure that this peaceful and spiritual gathering had some effects on people and places around the US and the world in general as so much positive energy was sent into the atmosphere and spread around.” Rachel and I can’t claim any credit for what happened. It was all of YOU, with your shared intention, that alchemized the magic. So bless you. We feel profoundly grateful.

Spiritual Headwinds

Rachel and I were basking in that state of gratitude after the teleclass when we got the news that all of our websites had been attacked by a hacker, and not only was LissaRankin.com down, but nobody could access the recording of the teleclass (you can now access it here) or register for our 6 week program Medicine For The Soul: Reclaiming & Trusting Your True Self. Thousands of people were trying to listen to the recording and register for the program, but the websites had been sabotaged by some force of darkness with what our tech geniuses call a “DOS” (Denial of Service) attack.

I posted on Facebook, “Have you ever noticed how, just when you start to make spiritual progress, you hit spiritual headwinds?” I told the story of what happened and then posted, “I suspect this is no accident. I don’t know if I really believe there are “dark forces” and “light beings”- because I believe we all have light within us. But if dark forces exist, I can only imagine that they would feel threatened by the kind of purity and light Rachel and I felt in the presence of the conscious, mindful, awakening beings who showed up for that call yesterday. It almost feels like there’s a real war of consciousness going on. I have faith that the light will prevail. So many people are awakening to the life-and-death necessity of seeing the light right now. But I have a feeling the path to the light will not be without its spiritual headwinds. Feels like the only action needed is to stay pure of intention and steadfast in the commitment to the light.”

Smashing Coconuts

It’s so easy to fret about things like this, but I was wise enough to reach out to my spiritual mentor Tosha Silver, who wrote back, “”GO AND GET A COCONUT and OFFER THE ENTIRE class to the Divine. Put this program into that coconut, and smash the hell out of it. Can you do that? So there is no illusion WHATSOEVER that this class with Rachel belongs to You. That’s my solution to just about everything, you may have noticed, because while the ‘dark’ can sure battle with one’s ego left and right, it really can’t battle with the Divine. If it is God’s will that the class occur, no interference can stop it. On the other hand, plenty can stop the productions otherwise. Whaddya think?”

So I went to Safeway and bought three coconuts. (Hell, if one is good, surely three are better.)   I put all the energy of this Medicine For The Soul program into those coconuts. I prayed that I be shown a sign that would signal me to either proceed with the program or cancel it and I let go of any attachment to whether or not we’re supposed to lead this program. Then I smashed those coconuts on the pavement with as much force as I could muster, watching the sacred milk inside spill all over the Sonoma County earth. As I did, I felt the weight of having to solve this problem and the anxiety of the tech challenges and the anger at whoever had done such a thing lift from my heart. I honestly only want to do this program with Rachel if it’s Divinely aligned. If this DOS attack was a Cosmic No, I was totally willing to let go.

True Light Vs. False Light

When I talked to Rachel about the whole thing, she told me it was a good sign, that it suggested that what we had offered up during the teleclass was of pure intention, because only that kind of love truly threatens the forces of darkness. She says we can expect spiritual headwinds when we’re on the right track, and our job is just to stay pure in our intention and unattached to the outcome.

The Battle Between Light & Dark Within Us

It was obvious to both Rachel and I that some sort of cosmic light versus dark battle was going on as a reaction to the spiritual gathering we had just facilitated, and it was to be expected. But as I thought about it, I realized this isn’t some “Us” versus “Them” external battle. It’s also a light versus dark battle that rages internally as we all walk the spiritual path. I’m sure many of you can relate to my realization that I experience the same sort of spiritual headwinds in my own personal growth.

When I take two steps forward spiritually, I tend to take at least one step back. I wind up engaging in self-sabotaging behaviors that lower my vibration, and then somehow, I feel more comfortable. It’s like there’s this part of me (my ego, who I call Victoria Rochester) who doesn’t want me to develop spiritually. Victoria will do anything to maintain the status quo, and she knows that the more I lean into my spiritual growth, the less she gets to sit in the driver’s seat, and the more my Inner Pilot Light gets to take the lead.

Just as Rachel and I realized we need to drop any resistance to our program having a specific outcome, I also realize I have to drop my own resistance to spiritual development. I try to be gentle with Victoria, but sometimes I also need to be firm. I treat her like a beloved but naughty child, and right now, she’s just going to have to strap on her seatbelt in the backseat.

A Happy Ending

The good news is that, at least this time, the forces of light prevailed. Although the websites had been under DOS attack for 24 hours and our tech geniuses were up all night trying to rectify the solution, within an hour of smashing the coconuts, all of the websites went back up. (You can now register to hear the free call here or sign up for the 6 week program here if you feel guided by your soul to join us.)

The whole thing was a real wake up call for me. Some will lead you to believe that spiritual growth is all roses and violets, that once you’re spiritually tapped in, you’ll be in the flow and nothing will block your path. But that’s not usually the case. In these situations, it can be tough to interpret the signs. Was this one big Cosmic No from the Universe telling Rachel and I to cancel the program? Or was it just a spiritual headwind signaling we’re onto something? Turning it all over to the Divine eased my confusion about that. As Rachel said on the call yesterday, “Understanding why may be the booby prize.”

Do You Experience Spiritual Headwinds?

Do you find yourself hitting spiritual headwinds whenever you make spiritual progress? If so, what helps you stay steadfast in your commitment to continuing to lean into the headwinds?

Trusting the path,

Previous articles by Lissa

About the author

lissa_rankinLissa Rankin, MD is a mind-body medicine physician, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute training program for physicians and health care providers, and the New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself. She is on a grass roots mission to heal health care, while empowering you to heal yourself.

Lissa blogs at LissaRankin.com and also created two online communities – HealHealthCareNow.com and OwningPink.com. She is also the author of two other books, a professional artist, an amateur ski bum, and an avid hiker. Lissa lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and daughter.


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